-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*October 8, 2009
*MNDU0910.08

-Birds mentioned
Harlequin Duck
Parasitic Jaeger
White-winged Dove
Short-eared Owl
Black-backed Woodpecker
Vesper Sparrow
Smith's Longspur
Purple Finch
White-winged Crossbill
Evening Grosbeak
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: October 8, 2009
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 834-2858
Compiler: Jim Lind ([log in to unmask])

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, October 8th, 2009
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was found on the 4th by Peder Svingen and Cameron
Rutt at the 40th Avenue West Erie Pier Area. It has been seen as
recently as the 8th, and it is most often seen in the late afternoon at
the northwestern corner of the impoundment. Peder also reported a
SMITH'S LONGSPUR and a LE CONTE’S SPARROW on the 4th, and Don Keinholz
saw a VESPER SPARROW on the 6th. Kim Eckert and others saw a SHORT-EARED
OWL on the 8th at 40th, and Peder Svingen saw a NELSON’S SPARROW.

A female HARLEQUIN DUCK was seen on the 5th at 37th Street on the harbor
side of Park Point. Dave and Lars Benson saw a PARASITIC JAEGER on the
6th on the Minnesota side of the Superior Entry.

Cameron Rutt documented an impressive northeastward movement of 829
PURPLE FINCHES on the 4th near Lutsen, and another 757 on the 5th near
Little Marais. Smaller numbers of other finch species were also seen
heading in a northeasterly direction, including EVENING GROSBEAKS and
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS. Dee Kuder found a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER on
the 4th at the Vermilion River Gorge hiking trail west of Crane Lake in
northern St. Louis County. She saw another Black-backed on the 5th along
the Herriman Lake hiking trail.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, October
15th.

The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-2858.
Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded
message.

The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota
Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more
information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum, e-mail us
at [log in to unmask], or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org.